Search This Blog

Monday, January 7, 2013

Almost Vegan Acorn Squash Lasagna

So it's been a while since I updated, but it doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Instead since I left grad school—I got a job and have been working so much, that on my off time, I don't want to write.

But I've recently rekindled my relationship with blogging and also hope to expand this blog beyond the boundaries of solely Indian cuisine.

One thing that is common for first-generation Indian children is that their parents and grandparents are not as open to different cuisines. In my case my grandmother and my maternal uncle are not so open to eating Italian food. My grandmother thinks marinara sauce is to tart and my uncle favors eating Indian, Chinese and other foods of Asian decent. Although my mom loves Italian food, she's vegetarian, so often when she eats it, the meal is full of carbs and dairy rather than protein. This recipe is sweet and hearty with a hint of spice. It's not tart at all.

A couple of things inspired this Almost Vegan Acorn Squash Lasagna:

1. On Trisha Yearwood's (yes, the country singer) new Food Network cooking show, she and Garth Brooks (yes another country singer) made Black Bean Lasagna using a faux ricotta made with tofu. Using tofu instead of ricotta really cuts down on the fat in lasagna.

2. My mom recently went to a work lunch at a fancy country club where she dined on butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce. I might be great in the kitchen by ravioli is pretty intense to make and I figured a squash lasagna would really mimic the flavor without the work.

Take note: it's almost vegan because I used one egg and parmesan. You could make it without the egg, use egg-free lasagna, and substitute the real parmesan for a vegan version. I also will be using whole wheat lasagna next time I make it, but I had to regular boxes on me and I like to use what I have.

Remove foil. Bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbling.

Roasted Acorn Squash:

1 acorn squash

1/8 cup of olive oil

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of pepper

Split the acorn squash in half—lengthwise. Remove the stem and slice the bottom of the squash so it's flat. Drizzle olive oil over the squash and sprinkle all of the spices over the squash. Roast the squash at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Once roasted scoop out the pulp and let cool. Store in refrigerator if making ahead of time. Makes 2 cups

Faux Ricotta

1 container of tofu (I used light silken, but you can use firm or extra firm)

1/4 cup of pine nuts or cashews (toasted)

10 leaves of basil

1 tsp. of nutmeg

1 tsp. of sea salt

1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes or to taste

1 egg

1 cup of Parmesan

1/2 tsp of pepper

1 tsp. of lemon juice

A few hours or even overnight, wrap the tofu in a couple of layers of paper towel and place in a colander in a bowl with a weight over it so all the liquid drains. Once drained: place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is mixed together and consistency is similar to ricotta. Set aside. Makes 2 cups.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Pin This!

There was an error in this gadget

About Me

A DC-area journalist and photographer having fun with food.

Why I'm writing this blog...

I grew up eating traditional Indian food, along with the staple American meals. During my middle school years, my family began exploring eating exotic foods from other cultures as well as eating farm-to-table after we joined a CSA. Although this made my tastes for different ingredients and cuisines expand, we didn't eat as much Indian food at home. So although my mom and grandmother made food for special occasions, I never learned how to cook Indian food and was pretty intimidated to do so.

In graduate school and three states away from home, I wanted to learn how to make the foods from my heritage and the meals that were a memorable part of my childhood.

Please let me know how you think the recipes turn out and please leave suggestions. Thanks for reading.